In the manufacture of tires and more particularly when tires are being recapped, long strips of rubber material to be used for the ultimate tread on the tire are supplied to the recapping plant. The strip is then cut to provide a length of a vulcanized rubber composition to form a new tread to be applied to the tire carcass. In order to condition the rubber material for better bonding during the vulcanizing step, it has been the practice heretofore to buff the ends of the strip that are pressed into contact prior to vulcanization. Thus in the past, after a length of the tread material had been cut from the strip, the two ends were abraded or buffed to roughen the ends and clean the butting surfaces to improve the bonding during the vulcanizing step.
Circular cutting knives have been used for such cut-off operations, the knives being rotatably driven while supported in carriage means moved transversely across the vulcanized strip to be cut. Various structures for mounting and driving rotatable knives are known for cutting various kinds of products. Also circular saw means are known such as the structure shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,524,323 to Lloyd et al. This is a dual purpose saw with a sanding surface integral therewith.